Stats Boffins Rank The FIVE Favourites To Win The Champions League (With One Surprise Inclusion)
With the Champions League knockout rounds coming up near the beginning of next month, we have decided to delve into the stats to see who is the likeliest to win the tournament.
The Premier League have all four of their teams in the last 16 but the statisticians at FiveThirtyEight have included only three in their top five favourites to lift the trophy in May.
Their model uses various metrics, including match performances and league strength, to come up with their figures. There is actually a surprise name who has made it into the top five above the likes of PSG, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus.
Press the next page as we list the five leading contenders to win this year’s Champions League.
5) Chelsea – 9% Chance Of Winning
The Blues are the reigning champions but their performances have dropped off in the last couple of months, meaning they have slipped down the list of favourites.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are quite strong defensively, though, and the way they are set up lends itself to knockout football so they could still go quite far in the competition.
4) Ajax – 10% Chance
While Real Madrid have a 4% chance, and PSG have just a 2% chance of lifting Europe’s top prize this season, Ajax are thought to be much more likely than either of those teams to become champions.
That is a big surprise. Even though Erik ten Hag guided them to the semi-finals in 2019, Ajax are not among the elite in terms of spending power, and it would be an incredible achievement if they went all the way.
3) Liverpool – 14% Chance
While this current Reds side is not quite as strong as the team that won the tournament in 2019, they will still be a formidable opponent for any club in the knockout stages.
With the Premier League title seemingly out of reach, there is also the possibility that Liverpool may concentrate their efforts for the rest of the campaign on winning the competition.
=1) Manchester City – 24% Chance
After going so close last season, and dominating their domestic league once more, it is not surprising that Pep Guardiola’s side are joint-favourites to win this campaign.
Getting their first European Cup has proven elusive for City since the arrival of Sheikh Mansour as owner, but could this be their year?
=1) Bayern Munich – 24% Chance
The 2020 winners were formidable in the group stages, winning all six of their fixtures, and conceding just three goals, but they have yet to be tested in the tournament.
Manager Julian Nagelsmann is also relatively inexperienced at the very highest level so it will be interesting to see how Bayern do cope in the knockout phase.
You may also be interested in reading:
FIVE Players Who Have Been Linked With Surprise Returns To The Premier League This Month
The FIVE Longest Losing Streaks In Premier League History
Top 5 Longest Winning Streaks Of The Premier League Era
Palace’s Van Dijk Snub, Blackburn’s Lewandowski Near Miss: 5 Transfers That Nearly Happened
THE WORST Signings Made By Premier League Clubs This Season
The Most Defeats Suffered By A Club In Premier League History TOP FIVE
The FIVE Premier League Teams Who Have Scored The Most Own Goals
TOP FIVE Players With The Most Goal Line Clearances In Premier League History
Or
You can visit our blog home page to read more news about Manchester City here